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SHOT IN THE ANKLE. MRT3 guards stand beside a naked vagrant who was shot in the ankle after he refused to leave the train tracks and hurled rocks at personnel on August 15, 2018. The man was brought to a hospital for treatment. Photo by Inoue Jaena/Rappler

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED – A Metro Rail Transit Line 3 security guard on Wednesday, August 15, shot a vagrant in the ankle after he got on the railway tracks and reportedly threw rocks at MRT3 personnel and cars.

According to initial reports, the unidentified man, who was completely naked, trespassed on MRT3 property and walked between the tracks of Ayala and Magallanes Stations around 8:47 am on Wednesday.

Three MRT3 security personnel and one cop were on site to remove the man from the tracks.

The police report said that MRT3 guard Federico Bustamante, 30, who was stationed at the Ayala MRT3 Station, shot the man "after an argument" between the two.

The MRT3 report said the vagrant reportedly hurled rocks at the responding team as well as at passing cars, prompting Bustamante to aim for the man's leg to stop him.

"The unidentified person was allegedly throwing rocks at them and even to the cars at the road. In the process, the guard shot the leg of the 'taong grasa' to prevent the latter from inflicting harm to others," the initial MRT3 report said.

A DZMM report quoting a passenger who witnessed the incident also said that the vagrant refused to get off the tracks and threw rocks at the security personnel.

The man was brought to Ospital ng Makati for treatment. Bustamante is being investigated by authorities.

In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the MRT3 management defended Bustamante and assured the public that "safety and security of the public is their priority."

"[T]he action done by the involved security personnel did not show any intention of killing the intruder, rather, to incapacitate him in order to control his aggressiveness.," the MRT3 management said.

"The DOTr MRT-3 would also want to assure the public that safety and security of all passengers remain as one of our top priorities," it added. – Rappler.com

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Welcome to Rappler, a social news network where stories inspire community engagement and digitally fuelled actions for social change. Rappler comes from the root words "rap" (to discuss) + "ripple" (to make waves).